If you run a local business and you don't have a website, you've probably heard some version of "you really should get one" more than a few times. And you've probably thought some version of "yeah, but..." every time.
Maybe you've looked into it and gotten quotes that made your eyes water. Maybe you tried building one yourself and gave up three hours in. Maybe business is fine without one and you're not sure what it would actually change.
All of those are fair. Let's talk about it honestly.
What a website actually does for a local business
A website isn't a magic revenue machine. It's not going to double your business overnight. But here's what it does do:
- It makes you findable. When someone searches "plumber near me" or "best bakery in [your town]," Google looks for websites. If you don't have one, you're invisible in that search, even if you're the best option.
- It answers questions while you're busy. Your hours, your phone number, what you offer, where you're located. A website handles the easy stuff so you don't have to answer the same phone call fifty times a week.
- It builds trust. Fair or not, people expect businesses to have websites. When a customer is choosing between you and a competitor, and the competitor has a professional site and you don't, that matters.
- It works when you don't. Your website is available at 11pm on a Sunday. Your phone isn't. A surprising number of customers do their research outside business hours.
What it actually costs
This is where most articles get vague. Let's not do that.
For a small local business, a professional website typically involves two kinds of costs:
Upfront: the build
A custom site from a small firm (like us) generally runs somewhere in the range of a few hundred to a few thousand dollars, depending on complexity. A five-page site for a plumber is not the same project as an online store with 200 products.
What drives the price up: number of pages, custom features (booking systems, customer portals), and how much content you need written for you.
What keeps it reasonable: having a clear idea of what you need, providing your own photos and text, and not over-building for where your business is right now.
Ongoing: keeping it alive
Your website needs a domain name (~$12/year) and hosting. Hosting can range from free to $20/month depending on the setup. That's it for the basics.
Some businesses also pay for ongoing maintenance: updates, content changes, security patches. This is optional but worth considering if you're not comfortable making changes yourself.
What you probably don't need
The web industry has a habit of selling small businesses things they don't need. Here are a few:
- A blog you'll never update. If you're not going to write posts, don't pay someone to build a blog section. A static site is fine.
- Fancy animations. Your customers want your phone number, not a parallax scrolling experience.
- SEO packages. Basic SEO is part of building any competent website. You don't need a separate $500/month "SEO service" when you have five pages and serve a 30-mile radius.
- Social media integration everywhere. A link to your Facebook page in the footer is enough. You don't need a live feed.
The bottom line
A website is one of the most cost-effective things a local business can invest in, if it's built right and priced fairly. It doesn't have to be complicated, and it doesn't have to cost a fortune.
Still weighing a template builder against hiring someone? We wrote about that tradeoff separately, including when the builder is actually the right call.
If you've been putting it off, the best time to start is when you're ready. And when you are, we're here to help.